Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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Jon Loveless saw some, and Paul Brewer too. Young Gray Whales, juvenile whales who did not migrate up to their feeding grounds in the Arctic, have been seen most days off the Mendonoma coast. Paul Brewer got a few photos of one of these whales.

Whale expert, Scott Mercer, is excited about this development. He says, “These sightings clearly demonstrate how rich our local coast is.”

Our heat wave is over and the smoky skies have cleared, thank goodness.

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

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Craig Tooley was out photographing dragonflies when he came across a tiny toad, only the size of a quarter. It's a Western Toad.

Peggy Berryhill was alongside the Gualala River one summer day when she spotted hundreds of juvenile Western Toads. You can see how tiny they were by the one in her hand.

The second photo shows four tiny toads, looking like pebbles in the river. I show this photo to children as one of many reasons why people should never drive in a river or along its banks. You'd never spot these little guys.

Thanks to Craig and Peggy for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Tom White captured a photo of a beautiful Bobcat. We think he/she is a young one, not fully grown.

Notice the marking on the bobcat's legs - they are quite distinctive. In fact, every bobcat's coat is unique to itself, just like our fingerprints are to us.

Thanks to Tom for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Thankfully, it cooled off some today. 104 degrees yesterday seems insane for the Mendonoma coast, but that was our high. Mid 80's today.

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Anne Mary Schaefer knows a beautiful setting when she sees one. She recently photographed the sea stacks off of Elk, one of the most photographed spots on the coast. I always marvel at this sight when driving by.

Anne Mary has a talent for capturing the magic light. and I thank her for allowing me to share this photo with you here. Anne Mary is also a talented pet photographer. Here is her website: http://www.pawpawrazzipetphotography.com/

It is hot, hot, hot here on the coast today. Someone must have left the heater on! We are not used to such hot weather here, where the Pacific Ocean usually has a cooling effect. As I post this at 1 pm, it is 96 degrees at our place in Anchor Bay. 96 is the highest it has been since we moved here over 21 years ago. We are obviously going to break that not-so-fun record. Bring back our fog!!!

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Craig Tooley has been at Bower Park on the Gualala Ridge photographing Dragonflies and a Damselfly. Bower Park has a large pond/lake that the Dragonflies love. Here is an Eight-spotted Skimmer.

They are hard to photograph - well, at least for me! I went there last week and tried for some nice photos but had no luck. I did get this photo of some interesting clouds.

And here is the lake.

With warm weather in the forecast, a visit to Bower Park will certainly bring you sightings of dragonflies. Here's a fun fact about dragonflies: They have four wings that can operate independently of each other. As you might imagine, they are excellent fliers. They can fly up, down, sideways, backwards, and they can even hover like a helicopter.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. I will be sharing more of his photos soon! To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com